Child Victims Act expected to pass, increase statute of limitations age

The Child Victims Act is expected to pass in the New York Legislature on Monday, extending the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse claims.
Currently, a victim must bring a claim for child sex abuse by the age of 21 if it is against an institution such as the Catholic Church, a summer camp or the Boy Scouts. The age goes up to 23 if against an individual.

If the Child Victims Act passes, it would increase the age to 55 for both.

“There’s no statute of limitations on painful memories,” says Peter, who says his dorm monitor at Mount Saint Michael Academy sexually abused him. “This is going to really give them a chance, a very important chance to provide closure, to deal with their trauma, to come forward and hopefully even to do some healing.”

The act also says if an alleged victim is already over 21 or 23, and the claim was time-barred, they will have a one-year window to bring a claim.